What is happening in Sudan?

More than a year after fighting started in Sudan and 25.5 million people in Sudan are facing food insecurity. Humanitarian aid can pull the country back from the abyss.

Last updated 15 August 2024

People in Sudan are facing a widespread and deepening hunger crisis since fighting broke out between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support forces last year.

According to the UN, more than 13,900 people have been killed in the conflict so far and 27,700 injured.

Around 70% of the population of the country rely on agriculture and livestock for survival, but access to land in many areas is compromised due to the conflict. This has created a catastrophic food crisis.

More than 25,597,401 people are now facing extreme food insecurity - the worst rate ever recorded in the country. Of these, 755,000 people are facing catastrophic hunger.

With no end to the fighting in sight, and the beginning of the lean season in September, famine on a historic scale is projected to take hold, especially in Al-Fasher City and displaced people in the Zamzam IDP Camp, Al Fasher.

Famine in Sudan is also projected during the following season, between October and February 2025. Floods, caused by climate change are set to make conditions worse.

• The Sudan conflict: a year of hunger, missing families and heartache

How to help people in Sudan

The Sudanese Red Crescent and ICRC have been responding to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, delivering vital aid and supporting evacuations. Please donate to our Disaster Fund which helps us respond to global crises like the current situation in Sudan.

DONATE TO OUR DISASTER FUND

People are fleeing violence in record numbers

People need access to safe shelter, healthcare services, food and water. The intensity of the conflict has been steadily rising, meaning more hunger, fatalities and people having to flee.

As of June 2024, IOM has recorded 9.9 million people internally displaced across all 18 states in Sudan – 2.8 million prior to the April 2023 war, and 7.1 million since.

An additional 2.1 million people have crossed the border into neighbouring countries, predominantly Chad (36%), South Sudan (32%) and Egypt (25%).

Aid can pull Sudan back from the abyss

Children, women and displaced are already bearing the brunt of the crisis in Sudan.

More than 4.9 million women and children in Sudan do not have enough to eat, and malnutrition rates are soaring. This includes 3.66 million children under five and 1.2 million breastfeeding women.

These vulnerable groups are also enduring gender-based violence, according to reports.

The lack of safe and unhindered access for humanitarian organisations to reach conflict-affected areas poses a significant barrier to delivering aid to those in dire need.

But Martin Griffiths, UN under-secretary general humanitarian affairs, says:

“People can be rescued from famine and starvation and disease if aid is made available, and actually can be rescued quite quickly back from the abyss.”

How is the Red Cross supporting in Sudan?

In Khartoum, the Sudanese Red Crescent is leading the humanitarian and relief response.

With 8,800 dedicated volunteers in 18 branches around the country, the Sudanese Red Crescent is the largest humanitarian organisation on the ground.

Since fighting escalated, the Sudanese Red Crescent has been providing first aid and urgent medical care, along with emergency supplies like food, water, and hygiene products, and psychosocial support.

Alongside this support, the ICRC has helped to evacuate 300 children and 72 staff from orphanages in Khartoum, as well as facilitating the release of 254 detainees, helping to reunite them with their families.

Without the support of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, the people of Sudan will suffer grave humanitarian impacts.

"They will simply not be able to meet their basic needs." said the Sudanese Red Crescent's secretary-general Aida Elsayed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with the Ministry of Health in Khartoum to support hospitals treating those injured in the clashes.

The WHO has warned that hospitals receiving patients in Khartoum have run out of blood, transfusion equipment, and other vital supplies.

• The Sudan conflict: a year of hunger, missing families and heartache

• Find out more about our work in Sudan

British Red Cross support for people from Sudan

British Red Cross volunteers and staff supported people who arrived in the UK from Sudan. Emergency response volunteers were deployed to Stansted Airport to help people who were evacuated from the country following the outbreak of conflict. 

• Get advice and support if you've been evacuated from Sudan
• Read the British Red Cross's statement on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan

The ICRC has been present in Sudan since 1978, supporting people affected by conflict in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

Today, teams from the ICRC support hospitals and health facilities with equipment and supplies, improving access to clean water, and providing displaced people in conflict-affected areas with emergency assistance.

The British Red Cross has had an ongoing programme partnership with the Sudanese Red Crescent and the Danish Red Cross in Sudan since 2018. The aim of the partnership is to support the most vulnerable women and girls at entry points and refugee camps in the country.

We are keeping close contact with our colleagues at the Sudanese Red Crescent and the Danish Red Cross, to monitor and assess the situation as it unfolds.